Former federal employees, including one Mainer who is a leading plaintiff, filed a class action lawsuit against the Trump administration Wednesday over what they say are unlawful firings of employees who the administration claimed were involved with diversity, equity and inclusion work.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., alleges that the firings were “intended to punish perceived political enemies,” and specifically “people of color, women, non-binary employees, and those … who advocated for or were perceived as advocating for protected racial or gender groups.”
It claims that the firings violate a number of federal laws, including the Civil Rights Act, Civil Service Reform Act and the First Amendment of the Constitution.
The plaintiffs are seeking reinstatement and reimbursement for lost wages and other damages.
Defendants named in the suit are President Donald Trump, along with dozens of high-ranking officials from various federal departments.
Mahri Stáinnak, of the Portland area, spent over a decade with the Environmental Protection Agency, followed by a stint with the Office of Personnel Management, before being placed on paid administrative leave earlier this year. That came after a pair of executive orders targeting programs related to DEI, though Stainnak’s position at the time had nothing to do with DEI.
Stáinnak and other plaintiffs filed complaints with the Merit Systems Protection Board and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Stáinnak argued that their firing was an attempt to unlawfully punish them for their perceived political affiliations and their previous work on DEI, “without regard to the worker’s skills or current job assignment.”
“This is patently unfair, unjust,” Stáinnak said in an interview with the Press Herald in March. “I want to get back to work on a job that I feel so passionate about and excited for. I am a proud federal employee, and I know so many other proud federal employees. Let us get back to work.”
The merit systems board and equal opportunity commission “failed to resolve” the issue, according to attorneys.
Mary Kuntz, an attorney with Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman & Fitch PC, said the merit systems board denied class certification, so the plaintiffs filed individual complaints, which were not handled within the standard 120-day period.
The equal opportunity commission, Kuntz said, did not process the formal complaints either. The body was without a quorum for months following Trump’s ousting of two commissioners in late January. The commission only reached a quorum of at least three commissioners again this fall.
“The American people have been hurt by taking out federal workers — really dedicated federal workers — working on really important issues like clean water, TSA inspections of people in wheelchairs, and English as a second language,” Kuntz said in a phone interview Wednesday. “They were fired because they were associated by the new administration with a demonized political position.”
The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment. The Office of Personnel Management, Stainnak’s former employer, did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
